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Michael Carpenter/ WENN/Newscom
Dr. Mehmet Oz
CBI: Your media achievements—as a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey
Show and Oprah & Friends and the coauthor of a series of best-selling
books—have made you one of the best-known physicians in the world.
How did you become such an effective communicator?
DR. MEHMET OZ: I practice in Manhattan, the media capital of the country, so, whenever
some journalist needed a quick insight, or interview, or sound bite, I was there.
I got comfortable talking to the media. I understand the kinds of challenges that they
face, trying to craft a story, but I also appreciate that they’re not authorities on the
complexities of medicine.
My wife is in the entertainment business, and, frequently, she’d say, “You present this
information well. You could do something on a bigger scale. Instead of talking to people,
one by one, in your office, let’s do a program, together, that will let you share with everyone
what you teach your patients.” So, I did a show called Second Opinion. That was how
I met Oprah—she came on my show in 2003, and, subsequently, invited me to appear
on her show.
CBI: In addition to television and radio, you’re also involved in a wide range
of other activities. Can you provide a short synopsis? What ties all of these
interests together?
MO: All my work is driven by a conviction that we can create a movement to change
health in America and that, in order for a country to be wealthy, it has to be healthy.
That belief informs every aspect of my interests—the role of alternative medicine, my
business and philanthropic ventures, the technologies I’ve invented to change the way
we do heart surgery.
I’ve worked hard to introduce integrative medicine into the hospital environment.
People come to us broken, but they need more than just having their heart repaired.
We need to employ a more holistic approach, helping patients to understand, accept,
and meet their own responsibility for their health and well-being.
CBI: Educating the public, the man or woman on the street, seems to be the
defining goal of much of what you do.
MO: Absolutely. The YOU Docs series of books that I’ve coauthored with Dr. Mike Roizen
parallels what I’m trying to accomplish with my television and radio endeavors. They’re
designed to teach the reader, of course, but, more than that, the books give them the
knowledge they need to influence and help the people they love. And then there’s
RealAge, the business that Mike and I are involved in. Mike has developed a remarkable
database that allows him to calculate the “net present value” of a person’s health decisions—in
plain English, how their choices about eating, exercise, sleeping, etc., affect
their longevity. That’s important because, if you’re going to teach people, and get them
to take charge, they need to understand the implications. RealAge allows them to
quantify the results. >
| CBI Interview |
The man who’s known as “America’s Doctor” is determined to have an
impact both on the public’s health and the country’s healthcare system
Highlights
» Media medical practice
» National health crusade
» Spotlight on kids’ needs
» Revamping U.S. healthcare
Dr. Mehmet Oz, M.D., 47,
is best known as the man
behind Oprah Winfrey’s “Ask
Dr. Oz” television segments
and, with partner Dr. Mike
Roizen, as half of the “YOU
Docs” team, which has
created a series of bestselling
books. Beyond that,
he’s vice-chair and professor
of surgery at Columbia
University; directs the
Cardiovascular Institute and
Complementary Medicine
Program at New York Presbyterian
Hospital; has authored
more than 400 original publications,
book chapters, and
medical books; holds several
patents for cardiac devices;
and performs some 250 heart
operations annually. He also
participates in the daytime
diva’s XM Satellite Radio
show, Oprah & Friends, and
is a chief medical consultant
to Discovery Communications.
He and his wife, producer/
actor/author Lisa Oz, have
four children, and live in
Cliffside Park, New Jersey. —|
www.ihrsa.org | MARCH 2008 | Club Business International 53